Man charged with killing brother makes court appearance

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) -- A Columbus County man accused of murdering his own brother made his first court appearance today. Dale Duncan is charged with first degree murder. The judge set his bond at $500,000 secured. Police say Duncan shot his brother Randall twice, once in the chest and once in the back, with a shotgun with a shotgun Monday night.

"He was a good person," Randall's widow Ericia Duncan said of her husband. "He was a good daddy, hard worker. He provided for his family. Good husband. He took care of us. He really did."

Ericia says it all stemmed from a fist fight a couple months ago between one of Dale's sons and one of Randall's sons. Ericia says Monday night, Randall asked her for the keys and said he was going to a friend's house. He went to Dale's instead, and never came back.

"If they had just left everything alone, like it was, everything would have been fine," Ericia said. "Nothing like this would have ever happened."

Ericia says when she got to Dale's home, her husband was lying on the ground taking his last breaths. Along with Ericia, Randall leaves behind four sons and two grandsons. The entire family showed up to face their uncle in court.

Dale's wife Regina sat in the front row of the courtroom, quietly sobbing. When Dale was escorted out of the courthouse, he told Regina, "Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright."

"I feel good, and I feel sad," Ericia said. "I feel sad for his children. I just want everything to go ahead and be done and over with so we can get on with our lives."

Dale Duncan claims self-defense in the shooting. He is scheduled to be back in court August 24. If Dale makes bond, he will be put on electronic house arrest. He's also prohibited from making contact with Randall's family.

Ericia says the Duncan families spent holidays together, but were not very close. Randall Duncan's funeral is Friday at 11 a.m. at Inman Funeral Home in Tabor City.

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Randall had NO business being at anyones house that late. He wasn't evening living in his own home bc him and his sons and wife didn't and couldnt get along. Why you think he was staying at his moms house?!?? Never come to another mans house cussing rising hell and threating anyone and expect for things not to get out of hand. Who wouldn't done the same thing. Gun or no gun you have a right to protect your place and your on home and if it's with a gun,knife,hands, whatever then you do what you gotta do. Everyone else that wants to talk about dales family...look at how his family is put together compared to Randall's family. Y'all wanna say dales family wasn't nothing but trouble well you need to take a second look. Very nice hard working people that mind their business. Want y'all try it for once!

Randal had no business going over there. He made threats, showed his ass, and it ended up a bad situation. You know people, a gun isn't the only thing that can hurt someone, I knife and even fists can do the job just as effectively.

first off just let me say if you don't know what your talking about you need to stay away from the subject.....Dale's family has been throwing rocks since this all began acouple months ago anybody that knows them knows their trouble....nobody went over their to fight, not saying that it wouldn't have come to that but dale plan what he was gonna do before his brother got there and then made sure he got the job done...he needs to spend the rest of his life behind bars....this wasn't self defense because after the frist shot his brother was defenseless

Sometimes we dont stop to think about the out come of our actions. I know that if Dale could do it all again he would do things different. I hope that the LORD will intervene in the lifes of both families. They need him to help with the healing process. I will be praying for both families an for the parents.

Dale is a good man who did what he had to do to protect his family. Anyone that cares about the well being of themselves and their family would had done the same regardless of who the person was threatening them. It's a tragedy for both families, but responsibility should be put on Randall as well, after all he was the one that made threats to Dale's wife and went over to his house to cause harm. Dale did what any one would had done.

And if anyone hasn't noticed, Erica doesn't even have a tear in her eyes, in either video.

This is sad and my heart goes out to the boys that last their father, but my heart also goes out to Dale. An innocent man thrown in jail. Nothing makes me sicker.

"I hope justice is served where it's deserved." - So do I sweetheart, I hope he gets out and back to where he belongs, with his family.

This is such a tragedy for a family torn in too. Four kids with no dad and three kids waiting to know the outcome for their dad. I know Dale and no one is stopping to consider what him and his family are going through. Most people are never put in the situation he was in. So before passing judgements ask yourselves what would you have done to protect yourself and your family!! No matter what happens next Dale has to live everyday of his life with this. When a person is at home and can't protect himself where can he??? Dale is responsable for his actions so shouldn't some of the responsablilty also lay with Randall? He could have been at home too. Love and Support to Dale,Regina,and kids.

I agree that both families are in pain but self defense stopped after the first shot. When Dale Duncan shot his brother in the back while he was getting in his car then it became murder. I hope that the members of this family who felt the need to keep this feud going with phone calls and idle gossip feel some responsibilty for this situation too. We forget sometimes how powerful the tongue is. It can ruin reputations and relationships, destroying people's lives and in this case even ending it. I pray we all remember this when we hear a piece of juicey gossip or begin to pass on words spoken in anger. A husband and father is dead because of a fight between two young cousins.

my daddy randall duncan, love everyone in his family hell he love brandy dale duncan like it was his own daughter, so dale protecting his family, i want to know how and where was he protecting his family, dale know they was going to argue and then start fighting, and dale knew that once they started fighting he was going to get hurt really bad, but he wouldnt have been dead, he should of took the a** beating and went to sleep and my daddy and my uncle would be at home with no worries

I have to agree with you how come none of the responsibility is being put on Randall. I don't know this family from anywhere, but I pray for Dale and his family. Most people would have done the same thing trying to protect themselves. If you cannot be safe in your home where can you be.

I have to disagree with you, I don't care how You read this situation, it's murder any way you look at it when you shoot an unarmed man "TWICE" it's just cold blooded. Dale will get what he deserves for killing a friend, husband, and father. I pray for Ericia and the son's through these hard times.

I know it is devastating hard on all involved...However it sickens me to read all these self defense excuses...At first yes I can see how the first shot could be self defense..but there is No Way No How that second shot was in self defense!!! Once he shot his brother and he turned to get away ..he was trying to get into his truck to leave so HOW tell me can you guys say you feel sorry for him? He obviously meant to murder his brother and did it in such a Cowardly way as to inflict gunshot as he was trying to get away!! IF Dale was as good a person as you protectors are saying he is he would have let Randall go after seeing he was unarmed and already wounded....But Instead he shot him again in the back and finished killing his very own brother! Wrong, wrong, wrong, and Cowardly no matter how you look at it. Prayers to Ericia and the boys